National Republican., 1887-12-16
Cruelty to-Mupw amps,

bfutlg lO-"uEWuWpss
We speak advIsedly When We say that
Senator Hale is not q hard hearted man.
Whether or not ho is q member OF the 80
clety for the Prevention OF Cruelty to Ant
mails, we feel safe in asserting that he
would scorn to be guilty OF offending 1t
And yet he proposes to establish an In
QUESTION which is calculated to torture the
sepsibilities OF select few OF his fellow
citizens to degree most monstrous. He
asks the Senate to inquire whether Mr.
Cleveland's oiliceholders have obsyed Mr.
ClevelSnd's command to keep hands OIL the
political machine, or whether they consider
that command 10 a Pick wicklan sense, as 1t
were, to be obeyed or not to be obeycd, &C.
cordirg as the necessities OF the second
term campaign may require. He actually
exposes an pufeeling disposition TO reopen
the wounds Of the late battle OF tie ballot.
to the great annoyance of the various wing.
OF the incongruous Democracy, which just
now are trying so hard TO flop together.
Senator Hale seems to forget that when
the President wrote his command sgains'
offensive parlisansbip by officials, much the
larger number OF those officials were Re.
publcans, whose perniclous activity was
incopvenient. II was Issued for crisis
which is past. 1t is no longer needed to
| protect the administration from the ru.l-
| !, IS foe, for the foe has been reformed out
Of oilclal power with great rapldi'y, l.
| fact, therefore, the famous order has been
suffered to lapse iuto iunocuou, desustu l..
| Really, It Is unfair aud heartless OF Sell'or
II a.. 1T. =.
for temporary use and for purposes Uf de
| tense, and not Intended to impair the Wig
| Of a reform administration. r. would have
been kinder OF Senator Hale hal he g Il cd
upon the Presilcnt conf lent!I!ly prey,pH
to the last campaign aul rcminde him
that he bad forgotten TO rescInd or recall
his famous order. Thit would have re-
lieved a large numbrr OF olll .!al states
men from the technical Udlum attaching to
their activity around the corner groceries
and at the same lime prevented an m.
necessary strain upon the executive con.
science In the effort to ignore their olTensee
But Senator Hale's cruelty becomes most
hesrtltss in another view OF this affair
The faithful Mugwumps, tender and true
in their allegiance, suffered tremendou,
shock Of moral paralysis under the reign OF
offensive partisanship by federal offleal.
last fall. AS time wore on they were grad.
ally convalescent, when Baine's blast
against the free trade message restored
them to their normal condition OF forgetful-
ness Of everybody's sins but Blalne's, and
Cleveandism was their re established cyno-
cure. This is logical, from their point oi
view, since IL Blaine were to discover and
establish scheme Of sure salvation for al
who would acceptit the Mugwumps would
decline to be saved. And now that they
had just got safely restored and anchored
, once more In the reform faith, complacen
aud self satisfied, here comes Senator Hale
with an inquiry which must reinhame Cht
OLD sores, barrow the tender MugwumJ
soul, and once more partially paralyze tn,
sensitive cord which binds them t,
their own chief magistrate. II th
: object of this inquiry was to ex
, pose and punish the fellows who have of
: Tended the presidential order and the ciyi
Q service law the country might overlook IT
4 but when the object so plainly discernibl
e is TO show that civil service reform has gon
s into bankruptcy voluntarily, and made al
). assignment for the benefit OF It's accessorie:
Y the Mugwumps can have no word to
e stvtre for It's author, and can shea no to II
: too bitter to recompense the collapse OF 1t
q idol. Should Senator uale's heartles
= scheme prevail nothing short OF auothe
IS crushing proclamation from Blaine coll
:, 0isperse the fresh stroke OF paralysis thu
e threatened, and restore the Mugwumps
. Citvelsnd's bosom.
In view of the danger that the Mugwunl
would by the developments OF his inquIr
% be driven to change their iiolatry ngli
perhaps Senator Hale might be prevaila
i upon to abandon bis search for exampl,
Of perricious activity. The Republic
y party can endure much, but the return {
y y the Mugwumps would he the last feather.